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Argentina advances with shutout victory over Belgium

Argentina, the winner in 1978 and 1986, is back in the semifinals for the first time since 1990.

Lionel Messi and Argeninta advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup with a victory over Belgium on Saturday. (EVARISTO SA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

By David WaldsteinThe New York Times

Sat., July 5, 2014

BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL—As unlikely as it may seem given the résumés of the two nations involved, including the seven combined world championships, Argentina and Brazil had never reached the semifinals in the same World Cup until this year.

With a 1-0 victory over Belgium on Saturday, thanks to a goal by Gonzalo Higuaín, Argentina joined Brazil, which beat Colombia on Friday, in the final four.

There, a possibility exists that the two teams, South American giants and bitter rivals, could face off in the final in Rio de Janeiro, which many feel would provide the most fitting conclusion to this World Cup.

Argentina, the winner in 1978 and 1986, is back in the semifinals for the first time since 1990, when a rough group coming off a title relied heavily on the skills of Diego Maradona and Claudio Caniggia, who did just enough to win, before losing to Germany in a desultory final.

Twenty-four years later, Argentina still relies heavily on two stars. These days, they are Lionel Messi and Ángel di María. It also does the bare minimum to win and advance.

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“We have done something that was not done for a long time,” Higuaín said. “Being able to do it is a matter of great joy. We still have two matches to go for the dream that brought us here to Brazil the very first day.”

But di María’s status for the semifinal against the Netherlands, which beat Costa Rica on Saturday, is uncertain after he left Saturday’s game with an injury to his right thigh.

In contrast to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Argentina has an enormous fan base following it from one Brazilian city to another. On Saturday, an estimated 30,000 of those fans shouted their support and sang to needle their Brazilian hosts, many of whom signaled their displeasure by whistling.

But after Higuaín’s eighth-minute goal, Argentina was content to shut down the game, thwarting any Belgian attacks by keeping nine men behind the ball. It made for an uninspiring affair until a Belgian flurry in added time, but the Argentine fans, who sensed victory early on, enjoyed every minute.

After the game, the Argentines celebrated by embracing one another and waving to the fans in the stands, who stood and sang to them, waving flags and urging them to go even further.

“We love and appreciate this support from the people of Argentina who have been following us in each match,” Higuaín said.

But it is Messi, not the fans, who has been most indispensable to Argentina, bailing the team out of several precarious situations either by scoring himself or by sending passes that have led directly to goals.

“He is water in the desert,” said Alejandro Sabella, Argentina’s coach.

The players surrounding Messi have less skill and less of an ability to draw defenders and dictate the flow of play. For at least one vanquished opponent, that makes Argentina a rather pedestrian team.

“We are not impressed by Argentina,” said Marc Wilmots, Belgium’s coach. “Definitely not. It is just an ordinary team.”

Wilmots also charged that Messi had fouled Belgian players three times without getting a yellow card but that as soon as a Belgian player fouled Messi, the cards had come out. But he added, “You won’t hear me complaining about the referees.”

Messi, though, felt he was the one being unfairly singled out, and at one point he walked to Wilmots in the bench area and offered some pointed words, presumably in Spanish. Wilmots, based on his shrug to the fourth official, did not understand.

But this game was not just about Messi. Higuaín, who has come under increasing pressure for failing to score, silenced his critics with a decisive strike.

The play started when Vincent Kompany, Belgium’s normally reliable central defender, lost the ball in his own half.

Messi made a few slick moves, spinning free from three defenders in the middle of the field, before distributing the ball wide to di María. Di María’s cross into the box was deflected by Belgium midfielder Jan Vertonghen and went straight to Higuaín, as if on a tee. He struck the ball perfectly with the laces of his cleat, a clean power shot to the far corner of the net that gave Belgium’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, no chance.

“The striker wants a goal,” Higuaín said, “and what is better than doing it today?”

Belgium had little to offer in attack until a final frenzy in the last minutes, with Vertonghen’s crosses providing the best chances. Even Romelu Lukaku, who proved so effective against the United States, had little to offer.

And if there is one thing the Argentines know how to do, it is to close down a game to protect a lead. It is something they hope to do in the next game or two.

“After 24 years, this is a good tribute for this squad,” Sabella said, adding that his team would “go down in history as one of the best four in the world.”

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